“I’m Xander, and over there is Kyle.” I nodded at my Beta, who was now dressed in the same type of black pajama clothes as me. “We’re wolf shifters from the Southern Hills Pack. We’re looking for a witch who was once in a relationship with our Alpha, about thirty years ago.”
Thomas smiled slowly. “That is... oddly specific.”
I managed to smile back, though I was pretty sure it looked like a grimace. “I was born thirty years ago, and I was the first of a hundred males born to our pack.”
I glanced over at Kyle, who was staring at me with his eyebrows raised. He seemed to be questioning my choice in spilling the beans on our plight, but I couldn’t think of a single good reason not to explain why we were here.
The high warlock inclined his head. “That sounds like a blessing.”
I chuckled a little. “In the past, it may have been viewed in that way, but with no women, there are no children, and my pack will die out soon.”
The high warlock’s eyebrows flicked up a little. He seemed surprised at my news. Then he turned to Kyle. “Why did you come here?”
Kyle narrowed his gaze at the warlock. “Because we were told that a witch cursed our pack, and we want to find that witch and have her lift the curse. Simple.”
Thomas smiled again. “Simple? No, it’s not simple.”
I lifted my chin. “Why not?”
It seemed simple enough to me.
“Because I know the witch you speak of, and she no longer lives here.”
Anger surged through me. “You know who we need to find, then?”
The warlock inclined his head. “I do.”
“Then where is she? Tell us where to find her and we’ll be on our way.”
He laughed. “You’ll never find Temperance. She left this coven twenty years ago and hasn’t been heard from since. Your pack is... how do the humans say it?Fucked.”
I growled, deep in my throat. I refused to accept his verdict. There had to be a way to reverse the damn curse. “You have to help us.”
Surely there was another way to break the curse?
Thomas stood up, brushing off invisible dust from his pristine gray suit jacket. “I don’thaveto do any such thing.”
“Please,” Kyle said. “If you can help us break the curse, please help us.”
The warlock stopped and regarded Kyle. I relaxed back against the wall, watching their exchange as my anger faded. Kyle was naturally less antagonistic; more placatory than me. It was obviously the right approach with this warlock.
Thomas seemed to shine a little, as though being asked for help was something he enjoyed.
I needed to keep that in mind.
“I could help... I suppose,” Thomas said, his tones as sickly sweet as any I’d ever heard. “But I’d need something from you both in return.”
I opened my mouth to bite back, but Kyle jumped in first. “What do you need?”
“Your blood,” he said, sweet as pie. “From both of you. Taken while you are in wolf form.”
Even Kyle seemed shocked at that request. “Ah... can I ask why?”
The warlock shrugged. “There are some potions that require wolf shifter blood for an ingredient, and I’ve always wanted to try making them.”
Kyle glanced at me. I couldn’t see the problem, and yet every instinct told me to refuse the request, and run. To get away from this guy as quickly as possible.
“I can do it,” Kyle said, “if you’re able to find the witch we need.”